Mericarp micromorphology and anatomy of Salvia hedgeana Dönmez, S. huberi Hedge and S. rosifolia Sm. (section Salvia Hedge, Lamiaceae)

Abstract

Mericarp (nutlet) micromorphology and pericarp structure of three morphologically similar endemic Salvia species; Salvia hedgeana, S. huberi and S. rosifolia were investigated using LM, SEM and TEM. Salvia hedgeana has larger mericarps and abscission scars than S. huberi and S. rosifolia. Mericarp length to width ratio ranges from 1.11 in S. hedgeana to 1.60 in S. huberi. Mericarp shape is mainly ovoid, rarely broadly ovoid in S. hedgeana, and oblong in S. huberi. The mericarp surface sculpturing pattern in all species is colliculate. However, exocarp cells are pentangular-hexangular in S. hedgeana, irregular in S. huberi and rounded and smaller in S. rosifolia. In Salvia huberi anticlinal walls are undulate whereas in S. hedgeana and S. rosifolia anticlinal walls are straight. Salvia hedgeana was distinguished from the others by the thickest pericarp (146-185 µm). The sclerenchymatous region significantly varied between the species. It was 84-99 µm in S. hedgeana, 56-82 µm in S. huberi and 27-61 µm in S. rosifolia. The mesocarp was also thicker in S. hedgeana. The wetted mericarps produced mucilage, but S. huberi differed from the others in having translucent-milky white opaque mucilage with fibres or radiating cordons.

Morphology, myxocarpy, mineral content, and in vitro antimicrobial and antiproliferative activities of mericarps of the vulnerable Turkish endemic Salvia pilifera

“…Mericarp characters, such as mericarp size, shape and color, and ornamentation pattern of the surface, are useful in identifying species and generic levels [24]. The macro-and micromorphology of Salvia mericarps present useful discriminating characters that are adequate for identifying species [19,[21][22][23][24]. The study on mericarp morphology of 15 Turkish Salvia taxa belonging to the section Hymenosphace Benth.…”

“…In our study, a moderately mucilaginous reaction was observed on the pericarp surface of S. pilifera. Büyükkartal et al [23] investigated mericarps of three Turkish endemics S. hedgeana Dönmez, S. huberi Hedge and S. rosifolia Sm. belonging to the section Salvia and found that S. huberi differed from the other species in having translucent-milky white opaque mucilage with fibres or radiating cordons.…”

“…So far, mericarp morpholoy and myxocarpy of different Salvia species have been investigated [1,[19][20][21][22][23][24]. However, the mericarp structure and the presence/absence of myxocarpy of most Salvia species in the world have not yet been studied.…”

Pericarp Ultrastructure of Salvia Section Hemisphace (Mentheae; Nepetoideae; Lamiaceae)

“…The groups of two-staminate genera, as in Salvia, and fourstaminate genera of Salviinae, as in Lepechinia and Chaunostoma, can be separated from each other and from other Lamiaceae genera by differences in pericarp structure (Ryding, 2010). Variations in the pericarp structure have been pointed out to be helpful in the identification of morphologically similar Salvia species (Büyükkartal et al, 2011). In this study, the pericarp of S. napifolia is observed to be significantly thicker than that of S. russellii.…”

“…Ultrastructural studies on the pericarp have been carried out in various genera of the family Lamiceae and have proved the usefulness of pericarp characters for species and generic level in the family (Wagner, 1914;Bilimovitsch, 1935;Wojciechowska, 1958Wojciechowska, , 1961aWojciechowska, , b, 1966Wojciechowska, , 1972Makarova, 1967, Hedge & Lamond, 1968Hedge, 1970;Witztum, 1978;Ryding, 1992aRyding, , b, 1993aRyding, , b, 1995Ryding, , 2001Ryding, , 2010Budantsev, 1993a, b;Budantsev & Lobova, 1997;Duletić-Lauševic & Marin, 1999;Mosquero, Juan, & Pastor, 2002;Moon & Hong, 2006). However, there have been only a few studies on the pericarp ultrastructure of the genus Salvia (Wojciechowska, 1958(Wojciechowska, , 1966Hedge, 1970;Oran, 1997;Ryding, 2010;Büyükkartal, Kahraman, Çölgeçen, Doğan, & Karabacak, 2011;Hassan & Al. Thobaiti, 2014).…”